OK, here's a question for all of you. If you could interview one person, past or present, who would you interview, and what kind of things would you want to learn from the interview?
One of the most fascinating interviews I ever heard about was when Alex Hailey interviewed a prominent white supremacist. In arranging the interview, Hailey neglected to inform his subject of the color of his skin, and what came out of it was a rather insightful and intriguing interview. In the spirit of that, I would like to have interviewed Malcolm X at his most racist. He had some very powerful things to say, and his message of self empowerment is one that should speak to all races, while discarding the racist nature of many of Malcolm X's speeches. I would like to have spoken with Malcolm X about what he thought that I, as a member of the white community, could do to make my corner of the world a better place, and to somehow have gotten an opportunity to show him that not all whites were as he perceived them (to the uninitiated, Malcolm X did partly recant of his racism shortly before his death; I believe it was a major factor in his assassination).
So, it's your turn. Who would be your subject and what would you ask?
signing off,
Gideon MacLeish